The Atmosphere Flashcards
What is the composition of the atmosphere (5)
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Rare gases
Ozone
The term for when natural processes are in a state of balance which maintains the average composition of the atmosphere so that it only changes over very long periods of time
Dynamic Equilibrium
What are the 6 ways that the atmosphere supports life on Earth
-Gases for natural processes
-Absorption of electromagnetism radiation from the sun
-Delaying the escape of infrared energy
-Heat distribution
-Ocean currents
-Transport of water vapour
What layer houses the ozone layer
Stratosphere
What are the 5 GHG’s
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Oxide of nitrogen
CFC’s
Troposphere
What is the natural GH effect
The atmospheric processes that warm the troposphere
What is the enhanced GH effect
It occurs when excessive heat is retained due to increased amounts of GHG’s that humans have released into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution
Ecological change
A shift in the way organisms interact with one another and their environment. The main causes are environmental changes
Cryosphere
All forms of ice on Earth
The 7 different ice forms
Ice sheets
Ice caps
Ice fields
Glaciers
Ice shelves
Iceberg
Sea ice
What do glaciers do as temperatures rise
Shrink
What is meltwater
water generated from the melting of snow and ice in glacierised catchments
What does meltwater help do for glaciers
Water flows through the cracks in the ice to the bottom of the glacier where it can lubricate the ice as it slides over the rocks
What are the 2 reasons for sea levels to rise
Thermal expansion of seawater and melting land ice
What causes thermal expansion on seawater
Some Heat that is trapped in the atmosphere can be absorbed by the sea and cause it to expand
